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I want to let you know that I was scammed by Mac Studios
(Text removed by MSE Forum Team). I paid them £1,975.00 for modelling photo shoot for my 14-year-old daughter. They promised that the portfolio will lead to various modelling jobs. And the Z card with her stats details should have sufficient information for agencies to contact us. They liaise with Six models who are supposed to refer potential models to agencies but all they do is give links to agencies for you to contact yourself. I fill cheated as talking to another child modelling agency (Bizzykidz) informed me that kids do not require hair and makeup for their photo shoots and each agency will take their own images, which means further costs. I ended up paying Bizzykidz £190.00 and we are still waiting for jobs from Bizzykidz. Should I contact Ombudsman or BBC Watchdog as vulnerable parents like me are being scammed.

No.
Chalk it up to experience and move on.
If you think your child will like the model scene (lots of travelling, waiting around being bored, away from home and friends) then join apply to a reputable agency. If they take you on, you won't have to pay.

I want to let you know that I was scammed by Mac Studios
(Text removed by MSE Forum Team). I paid them £1,975.00 for modelling photo shoot for my 14-year-old daughter. They promised that the portfolio will lead to various modelling jobs. And the Z card with her stats details should have sufficient information for agencies to contact us. They liaise with Six models who are supposed to refer potential models to agencies but all they do is give links to agencies for you to contact yourself. I fill cheated as talking to another child modelling agency (Bizzykidz) informed me that kids do not require hair and makeup for their photo shoots and each agency will take their own images, which means further costs. I ended up paying Bizzykidz £190.00 and we are still waiting for jobs from Bizzykidz. Should I contact Ombudsman or BBC Watchdog as vulnerable parents like me are being scammed.

The people I refer to as idiots are idiots. Stupid people who were born with below average intelligence. That's not a thing you can do anything about. Society needs to make sure they are not taken advantage of.

I used to be an office dogsbody on a mag and I don't think any of the models we used paid to be models. In fact I think the agencies used to prefer to just see a snapshot of the girl with no make-up on (the girls certainly all came to see us looking very natural). They want to see that the girl is naturally pretty and has an adaptable look. If you look at the Elite Models site they specifically ask for a normal photo with no make-up.

This is a very old and common scam (I'm using the word in a loose sense here) which preys on parents' pride in their children. Of course parents think their children are beautiful, of course they're flattered when some rogue little "agency" tells them so and that they could get into modelling.

And then they part with hundreds or thousands of pounds for a service which, in reality, is worth a fraction of that.

Their website offers "New Models Premium Package" for £1975, with a clear list of what you get for that payment. It seems really clear to me, and they make no promises at all. They are photographers not a model agency.

Unless MAC 'collared' the OP in a shopping centre with a 'promise' of definite modelling work if she took her daughter along to a paid photography shoot and that her daughter would have no chance with any modelling agency without a professional portfolio (which the OP claims another modelling agency has told her is not true), then the OP must have willingly gone along to the studio.

The OP refers to the company as MAC Studios but the website name is MacFashionPhotography which seems pretty clear that it is a company that takes photographs.

From the website:

“

Mac Fashion Photography is happy to collaborate with the following modelling platforms and have had models signed using our portfolios to the agencies listed below:

To a model, a portfolio can be paramount to success. Mac Fashion Photography understand the importance of portfolios and so we look to employ only the best creative team and consultants for shooting and then selecting images that show you in the best light. Our team has worked alongside agencies for years and so we know what is sought after in a portfolio. A diverse range of images that are in a number of settings and have you in different outfits and even different styles can make you a whole lot more desirable. A model that is adaptable to changing looks has a lot more chance of finding themselves filling the void in a casting director’s vision, Mac Fashion is here to make sure that is you.

”

I can't see anything there that claims that a MacFashionPhotography portfolio would lead to various modelling jobs either.

Mac Fashion do not only work with those at the very top though, we also assist numerous aspiring models to build that all important, professionally presented set of images that makes up a model’s portfolio. For anyone that is wanting to make a name for themselves in the modelling industry, being in London and shooting in one if its top studios can put you at an advantage. Our clients always go away with a diverse range of images and for those that are raw to this industry, you are able to take with you fresh skills and techniques to your next job. If you’re an aspiring model looking to create a striking portfolio or a company looking for a crack team of professionals to organise a shoot for a product launch, then we at Mac Fashion photography are on hand to help you achieve that with the highest level of quality.

”

Nothing in there about promising that the portfolio would lead to modelling jobs either.

Perhaps the OP could come back and explain how she came to choose this company and exactly who within the company promised these modelling jobs.

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